I was just thinking…how I became a displaced person – an adventure in realty (part 2)

By K.B. Sherman

A few weeks ago K.B. Sherman shared the first of three parts of his story, “How I became a displaced person – an adventure in realty.”

Here is part 2 -

THREATS AND INTIMIDATION

JUNE 15 – JULY 1: realtor for the house we want calls daily, scolding us and threatening to sell the home to someone else unless we close immediately; wife and I learn to dread hearing phone ring

JULY 3: our deposit on house we want reportedly threatened with confiscation; from the Azores (where I am with the Naval Reserve on active duty) I call one of the lawyers and question this ????threat; his response: “Well, what do you expect me to do about it?”

JULY 5: have seen countless couples troupe through our home, all proclaiming their love for it and desire to buy it; unfortunately, despite all this love for home, no bids

JULY 7: sign with new realtor

JULY 8 – 16: seller's realtor begins new terror campaign by calling our realtor with such accusations as: “I know you have two offers on your house! Why haven’t you told me?!” and “I have three more buyers for the house you want and unless you close in the next two weeks, I’m going to give it to one of them!” and “If you want this house you have one week to get an equity loan on your property plus assume all mortgage and insurance expenses on the new property!”

JULY 16: we reluctantly agree to pay seller's mortgage cost on house until the closing

JULY 16: we accept another bid on our house from buyer who “loves Victorian houses;” bid is contingent upon “just one more look” (the fourth)

JULY 17: bidder comes back for one more look with father in tow: ?father glowers at house for 30 minutes and pronounces it “too old;” bid is withdrawn; I can’t help but wonder how many new Victorians they’ve seen recently?

* well can’t pump 1200 gallons in three hours (big surprise — house is 115 years old) so have to install $ 1000 submersible pump at my expense

* Structural Inspector says house infested with powder post beetles (whatever they are) and that house sill must be replaced at cost of $ 15,000 (or so); hurriedly call exterminator, who ????inspects house and reports that there is neither damage from nor evidence of any insects; inspection costs me another $ 100

* Water Quality Inspector says that our well water has enough contaminants in it to defoliate South America and that a filtration system of some thousands of dollars will be required, at my expense; after several hair-raising hours of seeing bankruptcy loom before me, it is discovered that wrong report was read about my well, that well quality is fine; sorry about that, heh, heh

AUGUST 17: final hurdle seems to be the bank appraiser, who shows-up at our house bright and early on Saturday morning and spends several hours examining the house with a tape measure

SEPTEMBER 11: Finally, after five months, am prepared to pass papers with buyers; unfortunately, bank chooses that moment to inform us that, since loan officer is going on vacation, no papers can be passed for another three weeks — despite pass deadline of 15 September; even the lawyers have never heard this one before; after another day of frantic three-way conference calls, we pass papers at 9:00 PM